Lawmakers Approve Student Safety Hotline Funding

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DENVER (AP) – A panel of Colorado lawmakers has unanimously voted to support a school safety hotline, citing Thursday’s threats to Columbine High School as evidence the program is crucial.

The Senate Education Committee voted 6-0 Thursday on a bill to spend about $250,000 shoring up the Safe2Tell hotline. That’s an anonymous threat-gathering system created in 2004 for students and teachers to report threats and bullying.

State officials say the hotline has prevented more than two dozen school attacks since its creation in 2004.

The vote came hours after Columbine went on high security alert after receiving a series of threatening phone calls. No one was hurt.